Earlier today, the South Korean Yonhap news agency, citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), reported the decision of the North Korean authorities to hand over to the United States Travis King, who “illegally invaded the territory of the DPRK.”

In mid-July 2023, 23-year-old Private Travis King, serving in South Korea, crossed the border into the DPRK. Before this, the soldier had to be removed from duty and returned to US territory for disciplinary reasons. He was reported to be in custody on assault charges. On July 18, KCNA wrote that the soldier decided to defect to the DPRK out of “antipathy to the inhumane abuse and racial discrimination within the US military and disappointment in the unequal American society.”

Polina Motyzlevskaya